Spicy Giardiniera Pizza Bites make a great snack or part of a light meal. With “pizza” in the title how could you go wrong? These bites are vegetarian friendly, so they’re perfect for a Meatless Monday meal, and they make a fun alternative to traditional pizza.
Have you ever had giardiniera? It’s a relish — a mixture of pickled veggies like carrots, peppers, cauliflower, celery, onions, and other veggies. Giardiniera is a staple in many Italian kitchens, and it’s easy to find at most grocery stores. You can use it on sandwiches or along with antipasto. I like the spicy version but if you don’t, just watch which jar you snatch from the grocery shelf.
I like pepperoncini or banana peppers on pizza, so I thought giardiniera would be a nice ingredient to use to make these pizza bites. It’s spicy and a little crunchy and brings big flavor to any dish.
What’s your favorite pizza toppings? For me, it depends on the restaurant or the season. Friday night is pretty often pizza night at my house, and my husband always makes it. We try all sorts of fun toppings like broccolini with lemon zest and balsamic glaze, and the standard pizzas, too.
I have a few more tasty pizza recipes for you to try, like grilled pizza with fig, prosciutto and blue cheese and grilled flatbreads with red spring onions, prosciutto & white bean sauce. They aren’t quite traditional, but they sure are delicious.
You might like my spinach and roasted red pepper stromboli for a pizza-like dish, too. And don’t forget pizza for dessert, because a sugar cookie fruit pizza is always a winner, and you can use whatever fruit is in season to make it!
For these pizza bites I used 1-pound of prepackaged fresh pizza dough. It makes about 13 bites that fit snugly in an 8-inch pie pan. You can use a 10-inch pan, but I would recommend using more than 1 pound of dough. If you use two pounds, you may have some left over.
I don’t know about you, but I never get tired of pizza and all its forms. Pizza bites are fun to serve instead of regular pizza, and you can get the kids to help make it, too.
You can’t go wrong with pizza in whatever shape or form it comes in! Try these Spicy Giardiniera Pizza Bites for your next pizza night.
Patricia Conte/Grab a Plate
Serves Makes 12-13 bites
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 pound prepackaged fresh pizza dough
- 4 ounces spicy giardiniera, diced small
- 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley, plus extra for garnish
- 1/4 teaspoon dehydrated garlic pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus extra as garnish
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus extra as garnish
- 2 tablespoons melted butter to brush over the dough
- Nonstick cooking spray
- (Optional) 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle over the dough
- Warm marinara sauce for dipping
- Flour to dust your work surface
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly coat an 8-inch round baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the giardiniera in a small bowl and add the dried parsley, garlic, black pepper, and red pepper. Toss to mix.
- Add the mozzarella cheese to another bowl near your baking dish.
- Dust your work surface with flour.
- Pinch off a bit of the dough (enough to form a 3-inch round, about the size of your palm), and stretch it thin on the floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to help flatten it.
- Pick up the round and hold it in the palm of your hand.
- Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the mozzarella cheese onto the dough round, then a teaspoon of the girardiniera.
- Stretch the edges of the dough toward the middle of the round, and pinch it together so it seals. It should form a ball that you’ll place, seam-side down, in the baking dish.
- Start by arranging the balls around the perimeter of the baking dish, so they are snug against each other. Continue until all balls are in the baking dish.
- Brush the dough balls with a little butter, then sprinkle with a bit of grated Parmesan cheese.
- Bake the pizza balls for about 15-20 minutes, or until the dough turns golden.
- Garnish with extra dried parsley, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly before pulling apart, and serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.
INSTRUCTIONS
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